Antirefilling device for bottles.



Patented Feb. l3, I900.

0.. WHITAKER. ANTIBEFILLING nEwcE FOR names.

(Application filed June 3, 1899 No Model.)

NlTE ra'rns CHARLES II. WVHITAKER, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- IIALF TO GEORGE J. TOBIN, OF PLAINFIELD, NEW JERSEY.

vANTEREFILLING DEVICE FOR BOTTLES.

SPECIFIOATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 643,216, dated February 13, 1900.. Application filed June a, 1899. Serial No. 719,231. (No model.)

To otZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES H. WHITAKER, of Boston, in the county of Sufiolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Antirefilling Devices for Bottles, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has for its object to provide an antirefilling device of simple construction,

IO comprising a valve whic'h closes the passage through the neck of the bottle against the entrance of liquid into the bottle and yields to permit the escape of liquid from the bottle, with provisions for closing the valve by I 5 the pressure of liquid in the neck of the bottle when the bottle is held horizontally and submerged for the purpose of fraudulently filling it and with provisions to prevent access of a syrupy or gummy liquid to the valve 2c and its holder when the bottle is in a verti-v cal position, the last-mentioned provision being designed to prevent the valve from being made inoperative by holding it open by means of a sticky liquid inserted in the neck of the 2 5 bottlein contact with the valve and its holder.

The invention consists in the improvements which I will now proceed to describe and claim.

Of the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification,- Figure 1 represents a sectional View of an a-ntirefilling device embodying my invention applied to the neck of a bottle, the latter being vertical. Fig. 2 represents a view similar to Fig. 1, showing the 3 5 bottle held in position for pouring. Fig. 3 represents a top view of the valve. Fig. 4 represents a side view of the antirefilling device removed from the bottle-neck.

The same letters of reference indicate the 0 same parts in all the figures.

In the drawings, (1 represents a head which may be made of porcelain or any other suitable material and maybe secured within the neck of a bottle Ct in any suitable manner.

5 The head a is formed to extend across the bottle-neck and provided witha central opening m the inner surface of the head surrounding said opening constituting a valveseat.

a" represents an outer head or dome, which.

is provided with a notched or serrated lower edge a.

a represents a tube or tubular flange projecting from the head a and extended into the dome 0. and separated therefrom by an annular space or passage, said tube havinga delivering end or opening within the dome and above the notched lower edge thereof. The upper end of the tube is also notched, as shown at a The tube and dome are pref- 6o erably connected by braces cf, Fig. 4. The tube is preferably integral with the head, and the dome may be made of the same material as the head and tube. The tube a and dome (1 arranged as shown, constitute a trap which prevents the flow of liquid into the bottle through the neck thereof when the bottle is in a vertical position, because the liquid first finding its way through the notches a will fill the space between the dome and the exterior of the tube a above said notches before it can flow through the tube and will therefore seal the notches a without flowing through said tube. This arrangement will frustrate attempts to introduce small quantities of syrup for the purpose of smearing the valve and its holder or casing and causing the valve to stick in an open position.

The tube a and the head a form a valvechamber, which is of greater diameter where the tube joins the head than elsewhere, the walls of the chamber tapering or inclining inwardly, as shown, so that the Junction of the tube with'the head 0. forms an annular recess a surrounding the valve-seat.

0 represents a valve, which is a loose disk of any suitable material, such as glass or porcelain, formed to rest upon the valve-seat and close the opening a when the bottle is upright. The diameter of the valve is slightly less than the greatest diameter of the valvechamber, so that the valve has a slight edgewise movement in the said chamber. When the bottle is tipped to pour its contents, the lower edge of the valve bears againstthe lower portion of the recess a as shown in Fig. 2, and engages said recess, so that the valve swings from its lower portion as; on a V hinge, its upper edge being free to swing away from the valve=-seat and permit the escape of mo the contents of the bottle through the opening a The marginal portion of the valve may be provided with projections c c, which permit the liquid to fiow through the valve when the latter is separated from its seat, so that although the valve extends practically entirely across the valve chamber when opened there is a sufficient provision for the flow of liquid through the chamber.

Itwill be seen that the described form of the valve-chamber, whereby the annular recess a is formed around the valve-seat to engage the margin of the loose valve and cause the valve to swing as on a hinge, insures the closing of the valve by pressure of liquid in the casingawhen the bottle is held in a substantially horizontal position, and liquid is forced into the valve-chamber for the purpose of filling the bottle. The valve is lightly poised on its lower edge by its engagement with the recess a so that it is readily moved to its seat by the pressure of liquid against its outer side. To facilitate and rendermore 'certain and positive the movement of the valve, I provide a float 0 located in the valvechamber and adapted to lift the valve when the casing is filled with liquid, and thus carry it to its seat. The float is here shown as a hollow bulb, which may be of glass and has a pointed end engaged with a conical step 0 formed on the dome a When the float is in the position shown by full lines in Fig. 2, it permits the opening of the valve; but when raised by an accumulation of liquid to the position shown by dotted lines it acts as a strut, holding the valve against its seat.

The valve may be sufliciently buoyant to serve both as a float and a valve, in which case an independent float will not be required.

In Figs. 1 and 2 I have shown one side of the bottle a practically in line with one side of the neck, the opposite side of the bottle being offset from the corresponding side of the neck. This form greatly facilitates the dis charge of the contents of the bottle when the offset side is held at the bottom in the act of pouring.

I do not limit,myselt to the details of construction here shown and may variously modify the same without departing from the spirit of my invention.

It will be seen that the flange a and dome a constitute a guard, preventing access of a rod or wire to the valve, the security of the guard in this respect being increased by the notches a and a The annular recess a of the valve-chamber may be considered a hinge member and the thin margin of the valve a complemental hinge member, said members cooperating in forming a hinge at the lowest part of the valve-chamber and valve.

I claim 1. An antirefilling device comprising a valve-chamber the bottom of which constitutes a valve-seat surrrounding a contracted passage, while the surface of the chamber above the valve-seat is tapered or dome-shaped and cooperates with the valve-seat in forming an annular hinge member, a loose valve formed to fit the valve-seat and having a diameter slightly less than that of said annular hinge member, so that the valve slips edgewise on its seat, permitting the automatic engagement of the lower edge of the valve with the lower portion of the said hinge member to form a hinge when the bottle is tipped, and a float cooperating with the valve in said chamber, whereby the valve is closed upon its seat when liquid accumulates in the chamber, the surface of the chamber above the valve-seat being formed to permit a limited opening of the valve and to prevent the displacement of the float and valve to an inoperative position.

2. An antirefilling device comprisingahead having an orifice and a valve-seat surrounding the orifice, a tube or tubular flange surmounting said head and having a tapering surface the lower portion of which cooperates with the valve-seat in forming an annular hinge membersurroundin g the valve-seat, the said tube having an outlet at its upper end above the valve-seat, a valve formed to fit the valve-seat and having a diameter slightly less than that of the valve-seat, so that the lower edge of the valve automatically engages the lower portion of the recess to form a hinge when the bottle is tipped, a float located in the valve-chamben and a dome attached to the exterior of the tube, said dome extending across and below the outlet of the tube.

3. An antirefilling device comprising a head having an orifice and a valve-seat surrounding the orifice, a tube or tubular flange surmounting said head and having a tapering surface the lower portion of which cooperates with the valve-seat in forming an annular hinge member surrounding the valve-seat, the said tube having an outlet at its upper end above the valve-seat, a valve formed to fit the valve-seat and having a diameter slightly less than that of the valve-seat, so that the lower edge of the valve automatically engages the lower portion of the recess to form a hinge when the bottle is tipped, a dome attached to the exterior of the tube and extending across and below the outlet of the tube, said dome having a seat on its under side, and a loose float interposed between the seat and valve, one end of the float being formed to engage the seat.

4. An antirefilling device comprisingahead having an orifice and a valve-seat surrounding the orifice, a tube or tubular flange surmounting said head and having a tapering surface the lower portion of which cooperates with the valve-seat in forming an annular hinge member surrounding the valve-seat, the said tube having an outlet at its upper end above the valve-seat and a series of notches in said upper end, a valve formed to fit the valve-seat and having a diameter slightly less than that of the valve-seat, so that the lower In testimony whereof I have aflixed my sigedge of the Valve automatically engages the nature in presence of two witnesses.

lower portion of the recess to form a hin e when the bottle is tipped, a float located in CHARLES WHITAKER 5 the valve-chamber, and a dome attached to Witnesses:

the exterior of the tube and having a series 0. F. BROWN, of notches at its lower end. A. D. HARRISON. 

